Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. (Getty)
Zach Ertz is the best Eagles skill player to target in terms of fantasy football, according to Sports Illustrated. In Michael Beller’s latest rankings, the talented tight end was voted the third-best at this position, falling right behind veteran Travis Kelce and newcomer Greg Kittle.
Ertz, who made his second straight Pro Bowl, hauled in a record-setting 116 receptions — the most in NFL history for a tight end — for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns last season. More impressively, he was targeted 156 times and was easily Carson Wentz’s favorite safety valve. Ertz ranked 22nd overall in Beller’s list.
Pro Football Focus also heaped praise on the 28-year-old and predicted he’ll be the most “efficient” tight end in 2019 and told fantasy owners not to be worried about the presence of Dallas Goedert and DeSean Jackson in the Eagles’ offense. Ertz is still expected to average 16.5 fantasy points per game.
Yep, Zach Ertz had two of the four biggest TE fantasy days of the season.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated ranked Wentz as the eighth-best quarterback in fantasy football, putting him right below Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. The magazine had Baker Mayfield as their top fantasy option at quarterback. Don’t worry, Eagles fans, Dak Prescott was No. 11.
Meanwhile, ESPN projected some lofty numbers for Wentz in 2019, including 4,127 passing yards and 30 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. While Pro Football Focus hasn’t yet chimed in with their opinion, the stats-based website did give him the best overall grade in the NFC East.
2018’s highest-graded quarterbacks in the NFC East
Perhaps the biggest wild card to watch out for is Miles Sanders. The fantasy prognosticators are expecting big things from the rookie, a bold move considering he has missed all of Eagles OTAs with a bum hamstring. There is no doubt the talent is there. Sanders rushed for 1,274 yards and nine scores in his only season as Penn State’s feature back.
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Sports Illustrated had him ranked at No. 21 overall for running backs, while ESPN predicted 733 yards and four touchdowns for him. Pro Football Focus suggested that those fantasy players in dynasty leagues take a long, hard look.
Miles Sanders/PFF
Sanders’ backfield mate Jordan Howard was lower in the rankings than the rookie in all most all projections. Alshon Jeffery was the Eagles’ top-rated fantasy wide receiver, with speedy DeSean Jackson already getting the dreaded “boom or bust” label in many early polls. Heavy.com will take a more in-depth look at the Eagles top fantasy players next week.
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